The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago is pulling out all the stops for two days of non-stop carnival celebrations.

While it's smaller than the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Trinidad still expects 200,000 people on the streets and around the national stadium to cheer on the floats and costumed dancers to the blare of sound systems.

Along with the main street parade, known as mas, there are a number of other events, such as j'ouvert (street party) and calypso competitions.

One of the main draws of Trinidad's carnival is the band of the year competition to find the "Calypso Monarch", one of the greatest honours in the country.